The present invention relates to medical pin holder devices and more particularly to medical pin holder devices utilized in orthopedic external fixation apparatus wherein the repositioning and immobilization of a fractured bone is facilitated by means external of the soft tissue surrounding the fractured bone.
Various external fixation devices are currently available in the marketplace, all of which in one form or another utilize plural transfixing and/or half pins positioned on opposite sides of a bone fracture which extend through the fractured bone and outward beyond the soft tissue surrounding the bone. The exposed ends of the plural pins are rigidly attached to one or more pin holders which are interconnected by multiple adjustment rods to form an external frame about the soft tissue of a patient. By adjusting the relative orientation of the pin holders on opposite sides of the fracture and securely maintaining a desired orientation during rehabilitation, the bone fracture may be accurately realigned to permit proper healing of the fracture. Thus, the pin holders form an integral component of the entire orthopedic external fixation device which must be capable of rigidly clamping the pins in a desired position to provide complete immobilization of the bone fracture.
Heretofore, the prior art pin holder devices utilized in orthopedic external fixation apparatus have been formed in various design configurations, all of which have provided for the selective clamping of either singular or multiple pins within the pin holder. Although such prior art pin holder devices have proven useful in general applications, there are inherent deficiences associated in their use.
These inherent deficiencies have focused primarily upon the prior art pin holder's inability to provide sufficient clamping forces to positively prevent movement of the pins within the pin holder as well as a failure to provide any means for the independent removal or adjustment of individual pins upon the pin holder. As such, the prior art devices have often permitted to undesirable movement of the fractured bone during rehabilitation or limited operative and post-operative adjustment and modification of the pins upon the patient.
Thus, there exists a substantial need for an improved external fixation pin holder device which rigidly clamps the pin in a desired position, and additionally provides for the independent adjustment of multiple pins within the pin holder.